The Lay of the Cid | Page 4

bites the finger of each
one successively. The two eldest utter only cries of pain, but Rodrigo
with great spirit threatens his father. He is chosen to fight the conde
Lozano and slays him. Ximena demands justice for her
father's death,
and protection. Thereupon by order of King
Ferdinand the Cid and
Ximena are married. Later we have Ximena's complaints that her
husband's activity in the field against the Moors have tried her spirit
sorely. There are many ballads that treat of the arming and consecration
of the Cid in newly conquered Coimbra, of his victory over five
Moorish kings who gave him the name Cid (Master), and became his
tributaries, of the testament of Ferdinand in virtue of which the Cid is
made the adviser of Sancho and Urraca. The siege of Zamora and the
death of Sancho are fertile topics. At the accession of Alphonso the Cid
forces him to swear a solemn oath that he was not party to the murder
of his brother Sancho. Finally when the Cid is independent master of
Valencia, the Sultan of Persia, hearing of his exploits, sends him rich
presents and a magic balsam. This the Cid drinks when he is at the
point of death. It preserves his dead body with such perfect semblance
of life that, mounted on Babiéca, he turns the victory of the Moor
Bucar into utter rout.
Not the least curious is the legend of the Jew who having feared the
living Cid, desired to pluck his sacred beard as he lay in state in St.
Peter's at Cardena. "This is the body of the Cid," said he, "so praised of
all, and men say that while he lived none plucked his beard. I would
fain seize it and take it in my hand, for since he lies here dead he shall

not prevent this." The Jew stretched forth his hand, but ere he touched
that beard the Cid laid his hand upon his sword Tizóna and drew it
forth from its scabbard a handsbreadth. When the Jew beheld this he
was struck with mighty fear, and backward he fell in a swoon for terror.
Now this Jew was converted and ended his days in St. Peter's, a man of
God.
The uninitiated reader will doubtless miss in the Epic more than one of
his most fondly cherished episodes. If he prefer the Cid of romance and
fable, let him turn to the ballads and the Chronicle of the Cid. If he
would cling to the punctilious, gallant hidalgo of the early seventeenth
century, let him turn to the Cid of Guillem de Castro, or to Corneille's
paragon. Don Quixote wisely said: "That there was a Cid there is no
doubt, or Bernardo del Carpio either; but that they did the deeds men
say they did, there is a doubt a-plenty." In the heroic heart of the Epic
Cid one finds the simple nobility that later centuries have obscured
with adornment.

THE LAY OF THE CID
CANTAR I
THE BANISHMENT OF THE CID
I.
He turned and looked upon them, and he wept very sore
As he
saw the yawning gateway and the hasps wrenched off the door, And the
pegs whereon no mantle nor coat of vair there hung. There perched no
moulting goshawk, and there no falcon swung. My lord the Cid sighed
deeply such grief was in his heart
And he spake well and wisely:

"Oh Thou, in Heaven that art
Our Father and our Master, now I give
thanks to Thee.
Of their wickedness my foemen have done this thing
to me."
II.
Then they shook out the bridle rein further to ride afar.
They had
the crow on their right hand as they issued from Bivár; And as they
entered Burgos upon their left it sped.
And the Cid shrugged his

shoulders, and the Cid shook his head: "Good tidings, Alvar Fañez. We
are banished from our weal,
But on a day with honor shall we come
unto Castile."
III.
Roy Diaz entered Burgos with sixty pennons strong,
And forth
to look upon him did the men and women throng.
And with their
wives the townsmen at the windows stood hard by, And they wept in
lamentation, their grief was risen so high. As with one mouth, together
they spake with one accord:
"God, what a noble vassal, an he had a
worthy lord.
IV.
Fain had they made him welcome, but none dared do the thing
For fear of Don Alfonso, and the fury of the King.
His mandate unto
Burgos came ere the evening fell.
With utmost care they brought it,
and it was sealed well
'That no man to Roy Diaz give shelter now,
take heed
And if one give him shelter, let him know in very deed

He shall lose his whole possession, nay! the eyes within his head Nor
shall his soul and body be found in better stead.'